Genesis
Genesis is the first installment in the Shades of Grey Epic Series by BZPower and C.I.R.C.L.E. member Zorrakh. Prologue “How much will we suffer? How much will we gain? How much Misery, Cruelty, And Evil Will our land have pained? So much Death dealt out, So much Suffering shared. So much Grief and Malice, Yet we’re here for each other So that It can be bared.” :- Short Poem written by Lohii, Chronicler of Marak Nui, after [[The Exile|''"The Exile"]]. - Chapter I - “Why does it have to be so cold?” Trovin shivered. Even though the island, Marak Nui, was a wonderful place for almost anyone to live, the weather was a constant spirit-dampener. There was a chill in the air at all times, and the air was moist if it was not raining or snowing. Although snow covered about a fourth of the mainland, pretty much the only livable part of the island was blanketed in the frozen water. How the Settlers could have set up the Snow Settlement in the middle of the coldest part of all Marak Nui was beyond Trovin. “Ah, come on, buddy.” Trovin’s friend, Johvii, grinned at the lime-green and black Toa of Air. The white and sky-blue Toa was next to Trovin in the preparation room. Checking to make sure all the moving parts of their Cevlek Rifles were in working order, the two Toa and their squadmates were preparing to set out for a scouting patrol. “You’re always complaining about the weather. Enjoy it for once, take in the smells of the crisp, clean air; I think you’d appreciate it.” “If I don’t drown from taking a deep breath, I be sure to tell you what I think, okay?” The Toa of Ice laughed, “Uptight, as always.” While Trovin was sometimes annoyed with Johvii’s personality, he still loved him as dearly as a brother. ''No, he is my brother now, along with the rest of my squad, with all of the citizens. They’re all my brothers. Why can’t I move on? He stared off into space, fragments of past memories flooding into his mind as he recalled his life as a Matoran on one of the southern islands. Keeping out of sight of the Visorak. Collecting abandoned weapons to fight any wandering spiders that ran into him. Any cocoons he came across he opened up to see if any of the Matoran or Toa could have made it through before the venom took affect. Most of the time the sickly green, thorny webs, contained dead Matoran, a few times he barely escaped with his life from small, twisted, savage creatures that were once walking and talking, non-threatening beings. Trovin closed his eyes tightly as he remembered when he found his one friend, her body mangled and torn by something that had broken into the wrappings and had a meal, however it was probably driven off before it could finish. He shook his head slowly and rubbed the bridge of his mask with his hand as Rhonek, a Toa of Earth and leader of their squad of twelve, put one of his hands on the Toa of Air’s shoulder. His deep, cavernous voice rumbled, “you alright, brother?” Trovin looked at him and smiled, then stood up, “yeah, I’ll be fine.” Rhonek returned the smile then ordered for everyone to move out. After clipping on the extra ammo strap across his torso, Trovin and the others marched out of the preparation room and out into the dim sunlight with large, dark clouds slowly retreating to the south. The newly fallen snow crunched under their feet as they walked down the street. They passed many dwellings and shops, they passed many Matoran and several Toa as the citizens of Marak Nui went about their business. A few merchants were shoveling snow to be certain that potential customers didn’t slip as they browsed. Hammers and drills could be heard as a group of Matoran construction workers worked to repair a wooden overhang that had blown over in the storm; they were setting concrete bases for the support beams while the foreman gave out orders. After several minutes of marching down the main street, the squad came to the entrance of the military building, one of the three most important buildings on the whole island of Marak Nui. Marak Nui was a little over thirty square kio, although many citizens joked that it really was thirty kio cubed. This was because of the massive snow-choked Mountain, which could be seen from almost anywhere and was currently dominating the view behind the large metal and stone structure which Trovin and his squadmates were facing. Thick metal walls at the base protected the twenty-two-bio-high building; most of the rest of the material was gray stone with metal support beams. Six smaller towers circled a large central one; each of the six towers had two Toa on guard, watching both the sky and the land for any Rakhshi attacks. A rectangular, metallic door with a sort of scanner consisting of a bright red light placed at eye-level in the center of the shut portal was built into the wall. Rhonek stared into the device. Turning from red to green after recognizing the Toa’s eye-print and mask-print, the light blinked twice, and the door slid open, allowing the squad to enter the building and receive their instructions from the military leader, Toa Tavka. For Toa of Fire, he was surprisingly even-tempered and kind, although firm. It was rumored that he was very old, despite his physical strength and mastery of swords. It was said that he fought in the Toa/Dark Hunter War and was a champion in that conflict. He always possessed twin Magma Blades; whenever anyone asked why he did so, he answered with a slight smile “just in case”. Tavka had his back to the squad as they passed the two guards and into the dimly lit room, the only light was from the several Telescreens lined against the back wall. The military commander’s arms were crossed behind him, his eyes behind his Kanohi Kiril watched the screens with undivided attention. Several of the pictures on the screens had a fine layer of white near the base, indicating that they needed to be cleared away of snow. A few others revealed beautiful scenery of trees and dirt. The trees rocked back and forth from the northern wind that blew the clouds into view, blocking out the sunlight. These cameras had not been spotted by the Rahkshi for some time, however Tavka knew that they would eventually. Turing around and saluting, Tavka welcomed Rhonek and his squad. They returned his salute and became at ease when the Toa of Fire motioned them to do so. “As you all know,” he spoke as he strode over to a console with several levers and buttons, “the Rahkshi have been getting bolder, and have been executing many more ambushes than we have recorded them doing. Our analysts have been speculating as to how they have been able to seemingly know where our patrols have been scouting, but we do know that these are not ordinary Rahkshi.” With this remark, he pulled one of the levers. With a brief grating sound, a panel in the side of the wall slid back and a smaller Telescreen emerged. Tavka pressed a button and a picture of a Turahk appeared on the screen. “This is an image,” Tavka stated, “of a Rahkshi of Fear from one another island.” A second image of a Rahkshi popped up, but this Rahkshi was much larger than the Turahk, and was covered in rugged, silver armor. The spine seemed wickedly sharp, as well as the claws and teeth. “As you can see, the Rahkshi of Marak Nui are severely different than other Rahkshi; we have made sure to cross-reference other sources to be sure that these creatures are roughly the same stature and construction as this Turahk here. So there is no question: we’ve got something different going on, and that can explain why that these Rahkshi are able to handle and use Cevlek Rifles, as well as how they are able to use different powers.” He zoomed in on the spines and pulled up some more close ups of other Rahkshi spines. “Notice the somewhat generic styling of the Marak Nui Rahkshi’s spine. We have an archive of images of the forty-two known species of Rahkshi, and we haven’t found a match. It seems to be a... combination of them all.” One of the squad members raised his hand, “sir, so you’re implying that Marak Nui might have the first living Rahkshi, and that we’ve been fighting antiques?” “It’s quiet possible, my brother, however, there’s a few facts that interfere with this theory.” “That the original landscape was wiped out by something, sir?” Tavka concurred, “that is exactly it. How could they have survived this destruction? We haven’t found any remains of Rahkshi, or of any sentient beings, for that matter.” “There’s one theory I have, though,” Tavka turned back to the console and switched one of the Telescreen’s views to an image of a fairly large cave entrance. ''“The Underground”''. Trovin’s mind developed an idea and was catching on, “So you think they came out of there, sir, and they fought the Visorak when they came here.” Tavka nodded, “While there isn’t any evidence in favor of that theory, there is nothing against it, so that is what I believe. I assume, like you, that they were awakened, or something similar to it, to defend the island from the Visorak that assaulted Marak Nui many years before Toa and Matoran inhabited the island.” “The problem with that idea is that the Visorak retreated to one of the Trinity Isles and still live there. Given that Rahkshi are normally very territorial, I have no idea why they would not finish them off, if they did fight them off.” Rhonek grinned, “So we’re goin’ down there today and see what’s goin’ on, and if we find anything that fights, we shoot ‘em?” Tavka smiled, but it seemed like a sad smile, “Unfortunately, Kromahl and the Council have decided that the risks outweigh the benefits, considering that the search parties sent down there have not returned. It has been decided that exploring that part of the Underground will have to wait until more information can be gather and/or better weapons are developed.” Rhonek’s smile turned into a frown, “So what will our assignment be, sir?” The Toa of Fire motioned to the large crystalline Protodermis table with a built-in Telescreen. He pulled up a section of topography of Marak Nui. “The south-western ruins by the cavern on the screen have not seen very much combat activity. We have seen only Rahi through the cameras, but there must be something there,” he whispered in a low voice, “and, just in case, check that entrance to the Underground. That picture was taken a while ago, and I want to make sure that they’re not doing anything suspicious there. But, under no circumstances are you to enter, understood?” The squad saluted and shouted “yes, sir!” As they marched out, Tavka again smiled sadly. Ah, so young and brimming full of energy... Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have that feeling again... - Chapter II - "Nope, not this one, not that one, nope, nope, aaaaand... Nope." An inventor was sifting through pieces of metal, and he was completely ignorant of all around him, including the fact that it was snowing outside of his dwelling. He sat at a large Protodermis desk covered with massive amounts of metal bits and pieces; many were pushed off the side while he was absorbed in his "Quest for the Required Piece". The dwelling was not a large one, only about three bio by three bio. The wall that the desk was pushed against was almost entirely constructed of Crystalline Protodermis. The glass was fogging up from the cold air outside. Dim daylight streamed in as the snowflakes pattered silently onto the ground; there was no artificial light turned on inside the dwelling as the natural light was sufficient. Ancient trees that had lost their leaves many years ago seemed to brace themselves with the arrival of the snow. Towering above them was [[The Mountain of Marak Nui|''"The Mountain"]], as the Marak Nui locals called it, which stared down with a grim, wintry face at all who dared to turn their faces upon it. This mountain did not have a reputation of devouring climbers, however it was a most hazardous place to trek because of the almost constant blizzards around the peak. The inventor stared out at the landscape, then stretched his arms. His eye and scope piece closed as he yawned. "Mata Nui, I wasn't expecting it to be so hard to find this one little piece." His eyepiece focused in once more on his work. ''So much time to search, but it's almost wasted time. I've really got to sort these things out and put them in boxes... again. He sighed once more and got back to work. The wind kicked in and flung flakes of frozen water against the window as the time slowly slipped away. In a few hours, Kevlex, Toa Pauxiva of Ice, had hardly gotten any farther. Frustrated with himself and his lack of organization, he got up from his chair and walked over to a shelf on the wall. It bared the first Chevlek Rifle ever produced. Seeing this made Kevlex smile. He was proud that his first successful invention had been a great success. He only wished he had made a better deal on the profits so he could purchase more parts for his next creation. It's too bad that I haven’t had any good ideas. I wish I had more inspiration. He sighed again, the turned his gaze towards the glass, towards the bending trees and the blanketed ground. I’ll go on a walk; that always calms me down. After locking up, Kevlex began his stroll. Instead of walking down to the settlement, a half-hour's walk, he turned left, towards the forest. He didn't know why, he just felt like he hadn't walked that way in a while. Ice crunched underfoot as more snow fell from the sky. Surprisingly, the wind had died down. The trees grew thicker, taller, and more plentiful here, however there was a dried-up riverbed that created a path through the forest. Kevlex was walking down this path. Looming in front of him, facing north, was "The Mountain". It was coated in snow; most of the cold stone underneath couldn't be seen without the aid of a Kanohi Akaku, which Kevlex was wearing. Out of the blue, or gray, Kevlex corrected himself, it occurred to him that even though he only used his mask for helping him with his inventions, he never thought of using it for geology, which he was slightly interested in. An idea sparked in his mind to see the rock beneath the snow. The gears and mechanical pieces inside of the scope clicked and whirred as it zoomed in on the mountain. What he saw greatly surprised him. Underneath the snow, a half a kio away from Kevlex's position, was a cave at the base of the mountain and at the beginning of the riverbed he was walking on. It was not natural, as the stone was cut too cleanly for erosion. With curiosity piqued, Kevlex turned off his mask and treaded towards the opening. As he approached, the Toa of Ice wondered why no one else thought of taking a look underneath the mountain; if not for geological purpose, then perhaps for discovery of more metal for mining. While his mind mulled over these ideas, Kevlex never noticed that it had stopped snowing and the wind was deathly still. Not a sound could be heard except for the metal clad feet against the ice. After a few more minutes of walking, Kevlex stood directly in front of the snow bank that kept the mysterious entrance hidden for so long, or maybe not so long ago, he pondered. Stretching out his hand, he began to concentrate. But before he could remove the frozen veil a pair of Pteraax flew in front of him, letting out unearthly shrieks as they did so. Startled, Kevlex fell flat on his back as the serpent-like Rahi whipped past him. The carrion-eaters flew above the tree line and were soon out of sight. After Kevlex told himself to calm down, he picked himself up and, after first looking left and right to check for any more surprises, pushed the snow out of the way with his elemental power. As he did so it occurred to Kevlex that the snow was probably a waterfall before it was frozen solid, possibly to conceal the cave from prying eyes. The cavern was very dark. Kevlex hesitated. He wondered if whatever might be inside should be left alone, just in case. But his curiosity took control and he stepped inside. It was much smaller than he expected, only about the size of his dwelling. Aside from a pedestal with a triangular object on top, the cave was empty. Kevlex reached out to pick up the object, but shouted out in pain as he tried and dropped it on the stone floor. The thing was made out of dark, rusted metal and entirely covered in razor-sharp spikes; they had pierced through Kevlex's armor and he was bleeding. Deciding not to kick it out of anger, he instead took a step outside, locating a nearby bush. Kevlex walked over to it and plucked one of its' large, thick leaves. With the vegetation in his uninjured hand, he went back inside, carefully wrapped up the metal triangle, and stepped out once again. After taking another leave and tying a strap around his package, he began the long trek home, excited to closely look at whatever he had found, and never noticing the pedestal had retracted into the ground. Far beneath Kevlex and the chamber he discovered, far beneath the metal mines of Marak Nui, another chamber could be found; however this one harbored several Lightstones, machinery, and six stasis containers filled with sickly green liquid. The mechanism trigger by the pedestal sent a signal to the machines. With a deep, menacing hum, the machines turned on as they administered a drug into the vile brew inside the containers. The liquid quickly became crystal clear, revealing an occupant inside each container. One brown and insect-like. One dark green and like a large reptile. One blue with fins. One stark white with a skull-like head. One crimson and massive. The last was black and silver. All six were completely different in size, shape, and color, but they radiated the same aura: great, monstrous, unspeakable evil and darkness. As one, the eyes of all six beings lit up. As one, they broke free of their containers. The crimson one let out an earth-shaking roar that shattered the rest of the glass, the Lightstones, and the mechanical equipment. The black and silver being smiled in the pitch blackness, their home for the rest of time. With a deep, terror ensuing voice, he spoke. "At last, brothers, we have been awakened by our father. At last, we have been called to carry out his will." He raised his arms and his head to the roof, his comrades shrieking and roaring in agreement. His voice bellowed out with theirs in triumph. "At last, our conquest shall begin!" - Chapter III - - Chapter IV - - Chapter V - - Chapter VI - - Chapter VII - - Chapter VIII - - Chapter IX - - Chapter X - Characters *Lohii (Mentioned Only) *Trovin *Johvii *Rhonek *Tavka *Kromahl (Mentioned Only) *Kevlex *Mata Nui (Mentioned Only) *Partash (Not Mentioned By Name) *Sarraw (Not Mentioned By Name) *Maruk (Not Mentioned By Name) *Warhaka (Not Mentioned By Name) *Karak (Not Mentioned By Name) *Zorrakh (Not Mentioned By Name) *Xarkhan (Not Mentioned By Name) External Links *Genesis Category:Epics Category:Zorrakh